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Looking for the Clouds. Contemporary Photography in Times of Conflict

MUSA, Vienna

26 days ago

An Exhibition of the European Month of Photographyin the framework of Eyes On – Month of Photography Vienna

Looking for the Clouds is an ancient impulse: nomadic life has always been guided by the search for clouds that promise rain, food and fertility, but may also herald destruction. The exhibition draws a metaphor between this primeval impulse and the constant search that marks human life in the 21st century. Gazing up, we see not just by clouds but also surveillance cameras, satellites and drones, with the latter also serving as new instruments of warfare. Internet data clouds, on the other hand, are often criticized for their insufficient data protection precautions.

The exhibition LOOKING FOR THE CLOUDS focuses on the period from the tragic events that shook New York on 11 September 2001 up until the year 2015, which is generally remembered as the climax of an unprecedented, enormous wave of forced migration. Photos and videos by international artists and photo journalists illustrate the history of the past 15 years from this angle. After all, 9/11 only marked the start of a fundamental structural shift our society has undergone ever since, exposing us to a series of interrelated extreme situations: in the long term, our conventional patterns of life are challenged by the almost complete surveillance of public and private space, refugees trying to escape war within and outside Europe, and a long-term transformation of the term “identity” itself.